Francis Keala, a former Honolulu police chief and community volunteer who served on numerous boards, including the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate board as an interim trustee when most of its members were removed, died Saturday. He was 86.

Keala died of congestive heart failure at his Honolulu home with family by his side, said his son Mark Keala by phone from California.

Keala, who served as chief of the Honolulu Police Department from 1969 to 1983, was a graduate of Saint Louis High School and the University of Hawaii. He obtained a degree in sociology and was the first person with a college education promoted to lead the department.

Before becoming a police officer, he was a paratrooper officer in the 11th Airborne Division in Europe in the mid-1950s.

Keala said his father was a strict parent with a busy career when his children were growing up. Mark was in the sixth grade when his father became chief, but he always made time for his children, attending their games and other events, Mark said.

“He was present, as busy as he was,” Mark said.

Millie Akaka, wife of former U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, said she knew Keala since he was born and they had lived on the same street in McCully as children.

“Even when he was small, growing up, he was a very, very nice boy,” she said.

She recalled calling Keala after he retired as police chief for advice about her son Nick, who was then a young police officer.

She wanted Keala to talk to her son about his decision to stay in the rougher neighborhood of Kalihi even though he was offered a position in the quieter area near the airport.

But Keala refused, she said, adding that he was proud of her son because he made the right choice and would gain valuable experience.

Keala, who was sworn in at the age of 39 in 1956, served as police chief at a time of large changes in the department and community.

One of Keala’s first challenges was directing the police response to anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, including the takeover of a University of Hawaii office building and the burning of the ROTC building, according to a biography provided by the family.

Former Chief Lee Donohue, who was working as a narcotics lieutenant when Keala was chief, recalled some issues Keala dealt with during his tenure: officers switching from the government workers union to the new State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, a federal mandate ordering police to provide equal employment opportunities for women, and the heyday of organized crime in Honolulu.

He said Keala was one of the first chiefs to announce that Honolulu had a problem with organized crime.

Keala created a unit within the Honolulu Police Department to track organized crime and was later credited with using innovative tactics to combat other common crimes, such as a marijuana eradication program called Operation Green Harvest, a school truancy program and an undercover sting enterprise known as Operation Hukilau.

Keala was also known for expanding internal affairs to include annual inspections, as well as developing a recruitment drive and creating a community relations division to encourage the public to help combat crime.

Donohue recalled when he was a narcotics lieutenant, Keala would visit him in his office to ask about how things were on the street.

He said Keala was a quiet person but a straight shooter who backed up his officers and was quick to punish those out of line.

“He really cared about his people that worked for him,” he said. “He stood strong for what he believed.”

But sometimes Keala’s beliefs were contrary to the community’s. In a federal lawsuit in the early 1970s, a female police officer sued, claiming she was passed over for a promotion because of her gender.

Donohue said Keala opposed allowing more women into the department because of questions of their ability to do the work, but HPD lost the case and the federal government ordered the department to try to hire at least 30 percent women.

Donohue said the department never reached that figure, but did remove restrictions to women joining the force.

Keala also had to navigate disputes with the new police union and a “blue flu” incident in 1976 that involved mass sick calls over disputes about working conditions.

But Donohue said he had good memories of Keala and that “he was a good leader.”

“If you were wrong he’d punish you, and if you were right he was right behind you,” he said.

At the time Keala was in charge, the department was about half the size of the current department, which has about 2,000 officers.

In May 1999 Keala was one of five appointed as interim caretakers of Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate after four trustees were removed and a fifth resigned in the wake of an investigation into mismanagement of the trust.

Keala is survived by sister Aulani Winegarten, daughter Frances Ann Rothwell, sons John and Mark, and four grandchildren. Services are pending.